Trinity Sunday 2018 — Music Notes

Life in the Trinity: Prologue to Post-Pentecost
Peace with Justice Sunday | Memorial Weekend (USA)

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty (¡Santo! ¡Santo! ¡Santo!)

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 64/65Recommended Key: DTempo: 96-108 bpmInstrumentation: OrganNotes: If you have the option in your setting, add brass to the singing of the hymn to brighten the tone and enliven the atmosphere. There are plenty of arrangements of this hymn available for congregations, choirs, handbells, and instrumental ensembles.Resources:

Trinity Song

Source:CCLI #7068847
Recommended Key: D♭ (if transitioning to next song) or DTempo: 72-80 bpmInstrumentation: Piano, organ, plucked guitar (arpeggiated), solo ostinato (wind, string, etc.)Notes: Divide the congregation into two parts—left and right, women and men, A and B, or other formats—and give them the instruction to sing through the melody together in its entirety a couple of times. Then invite one part of the congregation to sing the first part of the song and continue repeating as the other part of the congregation sings the second part of the song, both simultaneously. If your church has a choir or praise team, be sure to divide them and prepare them to sing these two parts together as well.

Holy Holy Holy (Heber/Maher)

Source: CCLI #6527091Recommended Key: D♭ (with congregation) or D (band/praise team only)Tempo: 108-112 bpmInstrumentation: Band/Praise TeamNotes: If vocal range is a concern, feel free to use the verses only (in traditional strophic form found in many hymns) with the rhythm Maher suggests. Bands will find it quite manageable, and the verses are so well known that the chorus isn’t vital to maintaining the integrity of the hymn.Resources:History of Hymns »

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 79Recommended Key: FTempo: 104-116 bpmInstrumentation: Organ or pianoNotes: Stanzas 1-4 of this classic hymn, rooted in a translation (and later paraphrase) of the Latin Te Deum, offer praise to God in a manner reminiscent of the singing in the book of Revelation. The ecstatic praise culminates in a doxological statement of praise to the Trinity in stanza 4.Resources: History of Hymns »

Father, Spirit, Jesus

Source:CCLI #4578901
Recommended Key: A (Congregational), B or C (band/praise team only)Tempo: 120 bpmInstrumentation: Band/Praise TeamNotes: The verses are rhythmically complex, so I suggest having only a soloist or praise team sing them. The congregation would best sing the chorus only.

Maker, in Whom We Live

Source:The United Methodist Hymnal, 88Recommended Key: E♭Tempo: 108-116 bpmInstrumentation: Organ or pianoNotes: This prominent hymn of Charles Wesley addresses the three persons of the Trinity in the first three stanzas, with a statement of doxological praise.Resources: History of Hymns »

Children of the Heavenly Father

Source:The United Methodist Hymnal, 141Recommended Key: DTempo: 78-84 bpmInstrumentation: Organ, piano, guitar, flute, or violin melody or ostinatoNotes: Encourage choirs to sing in four-bar phrases, with a breath only at the end of a line. If your choir is interested in singing a cappella, this hymn is easier than many.Resources:

There Is a Redeemer

Source: CCLI #11483
Recommended Key: DTempo: 92 bpmInstrumentation: Organ, piano, guitar, or a cappellaNotes: As an act of thanksgiving, this song can be sung in its entirety or using the chorus only, either by the whole congregation or choir only.

Child of God

Source: Choristers Guild; Roll Down, JusticeRecommended Key: A♭Tempo: 100 bpm (eighth note)Instrumentation: Piano, organ, rhythm sectionNotes: The words draw the congregation into a relationship with a rhythm and pattern of “you” and “I” language, and the later reference to Romans 8:35,37 (“There is nothing, or no one who can separate”) declares that the people of God will not be driven apart from God or one another, regardless of how people interpret “truth.” The accompaniment is in a gospel style, and it requires a slight swing and a fairly slow tempo.Resources:

All Creatures of Our God and King

Source:The United Methodist Hymnal, 62Recommended Key: E♭ or DTempo: 68-74 bpmInstrumentation: Organ or pianoNotes: This is an adaptation of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which personifies elements of creation as members of God’s family. If you wish to sing fewer than seven stanzas, choose stanzas 1, 5, and 7. The seventh stanza concludes the hymn by offering praise to the Trinity.Resources:

Glory (Let There Be Peace)

Source:CCLI #7071972Recommended Key: FTempo: 74-78 bpmInstrumentation: Band/Praise TeamNotes: This song echoes the words of the “Prayer of St. Francis,” but also the more modern song “Let There Be Peace on Earth” by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson (UMH 431). The song is very accessible for many congregations. Interestingly, the bridge melody uses every note of the major scale.